3.
Website traffic and conversionsAttract/influence people searching for information on which you’re an authorityLikely don’t know your brand namesMore people click on organic results than on sponsored linksPart of the top of the online marketing conversion funnelYour alternatives: a lot of advertising or reliance on brand recognitionWhy do marketers care about SEO?

5.
What affects search rankings?… and many things we can influenceThings PR people can’t control …High-quality, fresh website contentUse of keywords—prominence and repetition of terms people actually search onPopular social media content that includes links to the siteLinks from authoritative websites (e.g., media sites)Consistency over timeWebsite technology (e.g., URL structure, page load time)Site ageHeavy use of technologies like FlashInclusion of XML site map4You have some control over:

7.
Research your keywords and use them But don’t let them get in the way of good writingKeywords are the words people really use when searchingProbably not your brand namesYou might call it “customer care,” but if people search on “customer service,” you must weigh value of search volume vs. messagingIf a list doesn’t exist, create oneGoogle Analytics—Check traffic to see what terms bring people to your website; exclude paid search, branded termshttp://adwords.google.com and other free tools will let you explore keywords and understand how competitive it will be to rank for themReality check—only use terms if they describe what your organization offers1

8.
Long-tail keywords are valuable, particularly if you need fast resultsCreate content to support these searchesCreate pages on your website that use keywords and keep them updatedRanking for competitive keywords may be a long-haul propositionSource: SEOmoz, “Beginner’s Guide to SEO”

9.
Pay attention to titles If you’re writing website copy, use titles on all pagesPress release titles shouldn’t be too long (65 characters or fewer)Use a keyword or two, but no more than thatCreate titles that make people want to read further and share“On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest” (Source: Copyblogger Media)2

10.
Use anchor text to link to and within your site In news releases, blog entries and other online content, include keywords in links to pages on your website“Shop towels are ideal for your toughest clean up tasks” vs. “click here for information about shop towels”One to a few words, not long phrases or sentencesGo beyond the home page to link to second- and third-level pagesLink within your site, or between your blog and websiteEstablished corporate website but new blog? Link liberally from the site to the blog and among pages on the blog to build quality links quickly 3

11.
Stick with itWebsite pages must be maintained over timeSEO isn’t a project that you complete and then move onSearch engine algorithms change, as do your competitors’ SEO strategies, so continued cultivation is necessaryIf you need an immediate lift in website traffic, consider using PPC also4

12.
Determine metrics and measure progressRankings matter, but aren’t the only result to considerIncreased website traffic. Better yet, website conversionsUse Google Analytics or other analytics software for trackingInclude calls to action on landing pages Look at bounce rate, time on siteIf visitors aren’t spending time on your site, clicking deeper into the site or converting based on your CTAs, your keywords may be bringing in the wrong peopleMore inbound linksShould be accompanied by a quality metric—poor-quality links can work against youSEOmoz Open Site Explorer and HubSpotLinkGrader let you look at linksAble to hold conversions steady, but decrease PPC budget5

14.
May not be able to pick site technology or affect navigation, page load time, URL structureBut you can write great copy, proper headers and include links using anchor textEnsure you have pages that map to keywords (i.e., include the term in the header and first paragraph, then a few more times throughout)Use variations on keywords, not the exact term repeatedlyKeep pages up to date Fix or delete broken links Build the foundation: Website copy

15.
Journalists may not like them, but releases have SEO value when used properlyWrite short titlesIf you must write long, get a keyword at the front of the titleNo links in press release title—distribution services don’t pick them upWrite great titles to promote clicks and sharesUse quotesBusinessWire’s EON service, built on Vocus’ PR Web, relies on rotating them to keep release fresh Use keywords and variations, but don’t overdo itIf you suspect a keyword is used too frequently, try the free PR Newswire keyword density tool: http://www.icrossing.com/tools/calculator.htmReleases: Maligned by media, but valuable for SEO

16.
Add links using anchor text to keywordsDon’t link to the same page more than onceDo link to pages deeper in the website or to your blogConsider spelling out your homepage URL at least once since not all syndication sites pick up hyperlinks yetIf you’re catering to your local market, add your addressAll major distribution services claim to provide the best SEO supportIf partners, VC firms, etc. post your news, check their sites to make sure they’re linking to youNews releases, continued

17.
Allow you to continuously add fresh, pertinent content to the site Link to your site and other posts to try to extend time spent with your contentPromote and make it easy to share posts to build linksHeadlines should be short and include a variation on a keywordInvite guest posts and contribute to others’ blogsQuality links matter—don’t rush for quantity without a strategyMedia sites linking to your posts may be some of your most valuable linksNo comment spamBlogs: Your own and other people’s

18.
People sharing your content (plus links) on social sites increases its authority in the eyes of Googleand BingMay counterbalance traditional factors (e.g., site age)Google search results increasingly personalized with local results, “+1” feedback from friendsGoogle+, Twitter, public LinkedIn results show up prominently in search results If you aren’t using social media but care about search, reconsider involvement in social mediaSuperb content is shared, which has SEO valueOptimize social content and use keywords in titlesTraffic from social sites is measurable using Google AnalyticsSocial media and search go hand-in-handSocial media directly supports search

19.
Videos and webinarsTitle matters Describe the video or webinar in a summaryUse tags if possible (e.g., YouTube)Consider accompanying short videos with a transcriptImagesPosts with images are more appealing to readers, and therefore more likely to be read and sharedUse ALT text to describe the image in detailSurround image with relevant textInclude a captionName the image file in a manner that includes a keyword if possiblePresentationsSlideShare can provide an easy SEO boostWeb video, images, presentations support SEO

20.
Someone has an ax to grind with your company and they’re making a scene onlineYour product received a negative reviewCoverage about a resolved crisis is still showing up in search resultsOngoing activitiesContinuously monitor company, product, exec names onlineBuy domain names, including .org, .net, etc., that include your company or product and negative termsRegister for the same terms on social platforms like TwitterParticipate in online forums where people are likely to discuss your company should something go wrong so you have an established followingAfter the negative story appears, push positive articles higher in search resultsConsider a press release with links to your site or other web properties on anchor text Comment on negative posts to state your perspective, include links to siteIf it’s a media story, ask the journalist or blogger directly for equal timeBlog using the same negative terms to allow people to find your responseSEO and reputation management

21.
Key takeawaysSet your SEO goalsResults page placement is important, but not everythingFocus on calls to action and conversionWork alongside the online marketing team PR may not own the company’s web presence, but you control a lot of contentConsider SEO each time you create online contentKnow and use your keywordsUse anchor textUnderstand that SEO doesn’t replace quality content creation and shouldn’t get in its way